Federal agencies that want to set up a Twitter account or use a wiki to engage with the public often face lengthy delays while ensuring compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, a 1995 law that requires justification of any activity that involves gathering information from the public, but doesn’t address the unique nature of online collaboration tools created in the last 15 years.

Recently, the Obama Administration issued a memorandum that will reduce paperwork and approval delays associated with using online tools, including Twitter, blogs, and wikis, to engage with the public.